One Halfords fitting was 'a dog's dinner'

A crash test expert described the fitting at one Halfords store as 'a dog's dinner'. The seat belt didn't go through any of the correct guide marks, meaning the child seat could fly forwards and hit the front seat in a crash, killing or injuring an infant.

A Toys R Us fitter positioned a seat belt buckle in such a way that it was likely to break open in a crash and the unrestrained seat and child could have been flung out of the car completely. Toys R Us and Halfords both expressed concern at our findings and said ongoing training would address problems.

One positive finding was that the standard of advice and fitting was very good at the two Mothercare stores visited.

'High-risk lottery'

Which Editor? Neil Fowler said: 'This is a high-risk lottery for parents. With the exception of Mothercare, at least one fitter from each of the chains we visited installed a seat wrongly or failed to test fully for movement.

'Which? criticised stores after similar findings two years ago, yet children's lives are still at risk from poor fitting and bad advice. At the time the stores promised action, but it appears there's been little improvement.'